UFC lightweight Josh Thomson was leaning toward retirement following a split-decision loss to Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 10, but very recently had a change of heart about his future.

Thomson, 35, was fired up when he read that his three-time opponent, Gilbert Melendez, is set to coach “The Ultimate Fighter 20″ opposite lightweight champ Anthony Pettis in advance of a title shot later this year.

Thomson (20-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) thinks he should have gotten Melendez’s opportunity, and now he wants to return to the cage to show the UFC why.

“It made me kind of sick to my stomach,” he told MMAjunkie Radio. “I think it’s a good chance I’ll be back.”

Following UFC on FOX 10, a visibly dejected Thomson told reporters that he most likely was done with his career. The announcement obviously had a lot to do with the loss, but he said it also came out of a desire to leave the sport at the right time.

“There’s no doubt in my mind I’ve still got good fights in me,” Thomson said. “The thing is, a fighter needs to know when to walk away. As you get older, your speed goes, and once your speed goes, you’re dealing with these light guys, these small guys that are fast and young up-and-comers. That’s when you end up with problems. That’s how your career can end fast.”

That conviction, however, has been replaced by a fiery motivation, and Thomson is looking for a fight that will put him back in his former position.

“I’m not concerned about [my] legacy,” he said. “What it is is that I know it’s right there within my reach of grabbing it, and that guys that I know I can beat and should have beaten are already getting those shots, and not just once, but twice.”

Thomson already has one opponent in mind to build his argument that he’s the best in the world: the UFC’s featherweight champ.

“Hopefully, there’s a chance to welcome Jose Aldo to the lightweight division, and we’ll make a case from there,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

If Thomson soldiers on, it will be his third push for a UFC belt after a stint in the mid-2000s as one of the promotion’s top lightweights and then his rebirth this past April following the death of Strikeforce. Thomson knocked out Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 7 and put himself on the short list of contenders.

Until an injury interceded, he was set to fight for Pettis’ title. He agreed to step in for an injured T.J. Grant to fight the current champ at UFC on FOX 9, but wound up accepting a fight with Henderson when Pettis discovered a knee injury that forced him out of the event.

At the time, Thomson reasoned that it was more important to keep his name fresh in the minds of fans than it was to protect a spot on the title ladder. Now, he is frustrated at seeing a former opponent move forward while he contemplates whether he should rebuild his career or hang up his gloves.

“No one wants to end on the downhill like a Muhammed Ali, or you’re in that state where it’s time to just give it up,” Thomson said. “I can’t say I’m trying to walk away while I’m still good, but just knowing guys like Gilbert, who I feel like I beat in my third fight, and guys like Benson, who beat Gil in a very close split decision – I feel like I won more than Gilbert lost to Benson. I should be right there. I am right there. I’m getting heated up right now just talking about it.”

In Thomson’s eyes, he won a rubber match with Melendez under the now-defunct Strikeforce banner in May 2012. He also believes he beat Henderson “with one arm” after breaking his hand in the first round of the UFC on FOX 10 headliner a month ago in Chicago.

“I’m happy for Gil that he got a good contract; I’m happy that Gil still is with the UFC,” Thomson said. “It just gives me one more person to get through to get to the title. I’m just sick to my stomach that it should have been me there. [Melendez] got two title shots in the amount of time that I should have gotten one.

“I’m just a little upset, that’s all. It just gets me remotivated and focused on what needs to happen.”

Pettis’ booking with Melendez not only affected Thomson, but Aldo, who agreed to fight “Showtime” at lightweight following his most recent title defense. The bout was not confirmed because Pettis is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered while taking the belt from Henderson, and now, “TUF” is taking priority.

Aldo could stay in his weight class and continue to defend his belt, or test the waters at 155 pounds, where Thomson said he heard the champion is headed.

Thomson recently underwent corrective surgery for his hand and is dealing with a minor ankle ailment, but said he’s otherwise ready to fight. He gets a thumb cast off on Thursday and needs to do two to three weeks of rehab before “essentially deciding who might be next.”

In the mean time, he’s raring to go. The past 24 hours have sent a shot of adrenaline into him.

“I’m healthy,” he said. “Once I’m ready to run, I can run 12 miles, 15 miles. It’s not a big deal. But just to know that Pettis was supposed to fight me and pulled out because of an injury, and now you have a guy that I feel I did beat the last time we fought in Strikeforce, and now with Benson, losing a very controversial split decision because of one judge that didn’t pull his head out, you can just tell, I’m getting pretty heated right now.”

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